"Coaching has inspired me to choose a specialty that suits me well and to take the initiative in it to shape my own career path" - Dr. Anne de Pagter
The start
Many professionals have positive experiences with a professional coach as support for their development and balance. A lot of PhD candidates have also expressed this need for more personal guidance: support to make an informed and appropriate career choice. Both during and after training. As a PhD candidate you can experience high pressure because you must choose a path while you haven't gathered enough (self) knowledge to make that choice properly.
The need for coaching
Excellent research and care are the primary goals within teaching hospitals. This entails having the best professionals in the right positions. Achieving excellence in technical innovation also demands the optimization of human skills—adaptable and reflective top researchers who align with the rapidly changing research landscape. Throughout the PhD trajectory, numerous personal and professional issues arise that are linked to the sustainable employability of the PhD candidates, their potential for optimal development, and their well-being. These issues are pertinent across a large number of PhD trajectories and can impact commitment, cause delays in progression, and result in stagnation of optimal career advancement.
At the moment it is not possible to give an exact number of dropouts, stagnation in outflow and annual unemployment costs that occur at Erasmus MC. However, these are considered quite substantial by HR. This is related to the lack of a clear career picture after obtaining a doctoral degree.
Moreover, Erasmus MC incurs high costs when PhD projects are discontinued due to cancellations, etc. The results of the two-yearly PhD survey were recently presented to the PhD Committee. It reported a high workload and a need for independent, individual support in professional development and career choice. This outcome was endorsed by Promeras, the Erasmus MC PhD association.
Due to the high workload and need for sustainable employability, professionalization and personal leadership, now is the time to launch a high-quality coaching program. At the national level, the embedding of training in the collective bargaining agreements indicates the importance attached to development and lifelong learning by professionals and signals to PhD candidates, among others, that they have been heard and that the ball is now in their court.
We monitor the effect of coaching
MATCH is a program that offers professional coaching to optimize PhD candidates' individual personal development. Thus, MATCH offers targeted support in making the right career choices for the future. The coaches are trained as professional coaches and selected based on strict quality criteria and their years of experience in coaching. What is special about MATCH is that the effect of our coaching is evaluated through a linked scientific study.
One successful example of personal development and career coaching is the Challenge & Support program. This program was created in 2017 to coach residents and teach them how to cope with high expectations. As a resident you have full scientific knowledge, be stress-resistant, flexible and confident. At the same time, you must be able to communicate, lead and cooperate well. And strive for a healthy work-life balance between all the irregular working hours and long shifts. As a trainee doctor, you could use some help with that. MATCH is inspired by the Challenge & Support Program.
As a PhD candidate you should possess all scientific knowledge, be stress-resistant, flexible and confident. At the same time, you must be able to communicate well, lead and cooperate. And strive for a healthy work-life balance between all the irregular working hours. As a PhD candidate, you could use some help with that. MATCH is inspired by the Challenge & Support Program.
We believe in the effect of coaching
Sometimes it's helpful to have someone to brainstorm with. Our goal with MATCH is to offer coaching to all PhD candidates who would like to discuss their future with someone. Coaching not only helps you develop your talents and make independent career choices, but it also teaches you to set boundaries, stay close to yourself and deal with high workloads.
Would you like to discuss your future and look at all the possibilities with us? Know where your strengths and weaknesses lie? Or learn how to gain more self-confidence? This is what our coaching program can offer you!